Advanced agricultural methods such as precision farming, the need for refugia for biotech crops, or resistance to multiple herbicides can create challenges for use of the right herbicide for weed control during the growing season. For example, hybrids may be resistant to at least one or more common non-selective herbicides. Examples of such common non-selective herbicides include glyphosate or glufosinate. Other examples of herbicides include acetolactate synthase inhibitor herbicides or ALS-inhibitor herbicides. Classes within this group include sulfonylureas (SUs), imidazolinones (IMIs), triazolopyrimidines (TPs), pyrimidinyl oxybenzoates (POBs), pyrimidinyl thiobenzoates (PTBs), and sylfonylamino carbonyl triazolinones (SCTS). One of the problems this presents is that it is becoming increasingly more difficult and complicated to be certain that a given crop in a field is indeed tolerant or resistant to a given non-selective herbicide. A single hybrid may have stacked or multiple herbicide resistance trait, thus increasing the complexity in making certain that a given crop in a field is tolerant or resistant to a particular non-selective herbicide.
Previous solutions might include using hand-drawn notes or field records, or if an as-planted map exists, a copy of the map could be carried by the sprayer operator. However, accuracy of the application largely depends on the accuracy of the archive and the judgment of the participants.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for an agricultural sprayer that prevents spraying herbicides on crops which are not resistant or tolerant of the herbicides.